Wicked! Wicked! Wicked!

-hums overture from Wicked- No One Mourns the Wicked is a song that introduces the two main characters, Elphaba and Glinda. It characterizes them before they even stop the song. Glinda’s good (“It’s good to see me, isn’t it?”), and Elphaba’s, well… wicked (“Where does wickedness come from?”). 

Usually, those two words are very basic and not helpful to writing, unless you’re planning on being the next Dr. Seuss. It’s best to use other words to describe your character (generous, kind, helpful, jealous, spiteful, materialistic). However, in Wicked, there’s an exception. Why? The entire play is about how people are misunderstood. Elphaba is branded wicked after she refuses to help the Wizard of Oz with creating spies. Glinda, however, stays behind and publicly assists with the Wizard’s attempts to destroy Elphaba. This earns her the title “Glinda the Good.”

I’m a proud supporter of “show-don’t-tell.” Yes, there’s another name for that, but it slipped my mind at the moment. It means that, when characterizing your characters, you should allow the readers to form their own opinions. If Harry Potter just said, “Oh, I live with cruel guardians,” wouldn’t it be empty? However, Rowling allows you to see that by having Harry wake up and being subjected to punishments right off the bat. 

When I read Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, the narrator, Percy, is talking about his grimy stepfather, Gabe Ugliano. However, he doesn’t delve into it right there; he says:

…well, when I got home is a good example [of how he and his stepfather get along].

Readers like having freedom to make their own relationships with characters. So don’t deny them it.